Sicamous-area fire grows overnight; boaters told to stay off Mara Lake

SICAMOUS, B.C. — A portion of Sicamous remains evacuated Wednesday (July 21) after a vehicle crash exploded into a dangerous wildfire Tuesday.

The 2 Mile Road fire ignited alongside Highway 97A just south of Sicamous, quickly threatening the community.

Fire Information Officer Noelle Kekula says the B.C. Wildfire Service responded quickly.

“Our word of the summer, it feels like, is ‘triage’,” Kekula told CFJC Today. “Our priorities are life, property, critical infrastructure and resources, so when you’ve got three of our top priorities affected, we throw some resources at it pretty quick.”

WATCH: A retardant drop on the 2 Mile Road fire. (Video Credit: Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Shuswap)

The Shuswap Emergency Program announced an evacuation of about 1,000 Sicamous residents Tuesday afternoon. Interior Health says its staff are moving residents away from Eagle Valley Manor in the community, while the Sicamous Health Centre has been closed and evacuated.

Kekula says the fire grew slightly overnight.

“We are now estimating it at around 130 hectares,” she said. “There was some growth overnight. We’ve got heavy equipment on the ground that is building… some containment guard around it and we’ve got personnel on the incident as well.”

Meantime, Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Shuswap station is reminding boaters to stay off nearby Mara Lake to allow aerial firefighting efforts to take place unabated.

Boats on Mara Lake near 2 Mile Road fire (Image Credit: Facebook / Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Shuswap)